Returning to Iloilo City

Dear Family,

This has been a crazy week to say the least. Right now I am at the office emailing because I was just transferred back down to Iloilo City. To say I am super excited is an understatement my new comp is Elder Billings and he is from Syracuse Utah. We may be the best companionship in the mission and our area is City Ward. We have only been together for about 3 hours and we are loving every minute of it. 

 

I don't really have enough time for a play by play of the week but we had a great week visiting all the people in the ward and we were able to visit some less actives and some inactives. Some sweet news is that Brother Sonny came back to church with his whole family. He said he is sad I was leaving but he will take is slow and will keep coming to church and learning about the Church. 

 

I am so grateful for my time in Numancia and all the people I was able to meet and all the eternal friends I have made while serving these people. The next 3 months will be the best of my mission and I am going to leave it all out on the field. I hope the pictures explain how much fun this last week was. 

Love your son, 

Elder Swanton

 

Maybe a final transfer?

Dear Family,

 Yeah you could say this week was alot better for us over here in Numancia. I can tell that things are starting to slow down this last month before school starts up again. Mom tell the ward that I said hi and hope they are all doing well. 

Wednesday we had a surprise conference from President Cruz and Sister Cruz. They came and gave a powerful spiritual training about cleaning the inner vessel. I love the story he told about how when a lumber jack was young he left a Splitting wedge in a small Oak tree but as the years went by the tree grew into a  beautiful tree. But then on winter a large snow storm came and the weight was just to much so the tree split in half because the man forgot about it all those years ago. The point is we all need to stay as worthy as we can because we don't know when the next big storm is coming in all of our lives. Be ready and make sure your faith will be ready for any trials or hard times you will experience. 

 

Saturday we had a very busy schedule. We woke up early and headed over to the church to help set up for the funeral of a elderly women in the ward. Sister Bonifacio has been a rock in Numancia for almost 50 years but one day her sickness was just to much and she went up to help with all the work in heaven. We were lucky enough to be able to sing at here Funeral Service. It was so cool to feel that spirit of peace enter into all of the family members. It was also sad to see how death affects those that don't have the knowledge we as Members have. For them Death is the end to a very long and hard road but for us we know that death is the next step in receiving a whole and perfect body. Later that night at 6 pm we had a baptism that almost the whole ward came out to see. One of the Single adults mothers was going to be baptized. I have loved teaching Sister Zaminio these past few weeks and she has made such big steps in gaining that personal testimony that the church is true. When her son baptized her the spirit was so strong almost everyone there was crying their eyes out. I am so blessed to have been apart of this special conversion. Their family is now complete and that just brings a kind of joy that cant be described with words. 

 

I am loving my mission right now and with whispers of transfers starting I know the lord will send me to were he needs me to be. I love you all and hope you have a great week. 

From your Son and brother, 

Elder Swanton